Antique Reading Hardware Apple Peeler – Cast Iron Hand Crank

Description :
This antique cast iron apple peeler, produced by Reading Hardware Co. of Reading, Pennsylvania, features an intricate gear-driven mechanism with a hand crank and clamp base for tabletop use. Designed in the late 19th century and patented across multiple dates in the 1800s, this tool efficiently peeled, cored, and sliced apples in one continuous motion. The piece showcases detailed casting, exposed gearing, and a turned wooden handle, all reflecting early industrial craftsmanship. With its mechanical complexity and historical significance, it serves equally well as a functional tool or a display piece celebrating early American kitchen innovation.

Era
Late 19th to Early 20th Century

Style
Industrial / Victorian Utility

Technique
Cast iron construction with precision-machined gearing and hand assembly

Tools Used
Sand casting molds, gear cutting tools, metal lathes, hand assembly tools

History
Reading Hardware Company was a major American manufacturer known for durable household and industrial goods, with apple peelers becoming a staple kitchen innovation in the late 1800s.

Manufacturer / Maker
Reading Hardware Co., Reading, Pennsylvania

Measurements
6 1/2" W x 6 1/4" T x 12" D

Suggested Weight
6–8 lbs

Suggested Shipping Package Dimension
14" x 10" x 10"

Music
American Folk / Appalachian String Band Music

Item Number : P16470

Category : Housewares

Brand : Reading Hardware Co., Reading, Pennsylvania